Closure for bottles and other containers



T. C. SPELLING.

CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, I918;

Patented Dec. 7,1920.

/7 FIG. 5. '20

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. SP ELLING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOSURE BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

Application filed June 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. SPELLING, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York city in the county of New ork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Bottles and other Containers, of which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to improvements in closures for bottles and other containers and means for fastening them against the poembility of the sealing members of such closures becoming displaced or yielding for the escape of contents of the bottles or containers, and it has for an object the provision of simple means of locking the closures according to a plan or design which will admit of the fasteners being mechanically looked under the rims of bottles, with a minimum of manipulation.

The details of construction and arrangement of parts and the adaptability of the mechanism to the accomplishment of the object will fully appear from the ensuing specific description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof.

Figure l is a top view of a bottle, mouth and neck provided with my improved closures. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a side elevation looking from either the right or the left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 41 is a detail top view of the metal cap and gripping members, hereinafter designated as legs; holding the stopper in the bottle mouth and neck. Fig. 5 is a top view of a modified form of the member hereinafter designated as a super cap. Fig. 6 is a diametrical section of the stopper with its holding strap secured thereto by the modified plate shown in Fig. 5.

The following is a more specific description, reference numerals representing identical parts in the several views.

Reference numeral 1 designates a stopper, preferably of cork, though it may be made of other yieldable material, and reference numeral 16 designates a shoulder formed'on it. Reference numeral 2 designates the cap portion, 3 the legs, and 4 the feet of the fastener. The legs are slitted from the cap along the lines 5, in order that the act of locking may be facilitated. Downward pressure, started at the juncture of the legs and cap 6, and descending along the top .side of each leg simultaneously intrenches it Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

1918. Serial No. 241,963:

in the substance of the stopper and forces it down in the grooves 7 formed in the rim 8 of'the bottle neck below the mouth, 9, and straightens it, until the feet 14 have been moved beyond and below the edge 11 and sprung under the horizontal undercut 12 of the rim. The pressure being now removed, the resistant force, or buoyancy, of the compressed portion 13 of the stopper, when formed of the aforementioned, or any similar material, tightens the legs, so that the stopper cannot be forced out without either breaking the bottle or fastening means. If the fastening means be made of resilient metal and lightly curved in its construction, its tendency to resume the bent or curved form will reinforce the buoyancy of the stopper in producing a binding engagement. To insure the proper movement and 'coaction of the parts, the two feet, 14', of each foot are bent slightly upward as shown in Fig. 6. This causes them to glide easily along the top edges 15 of the grooves 7. Such bend places the feet in position to be reached for the purpose of disengaging the fastener, without in anywise weakening it. The angle thus made is more obtuse than that made by the base and side of the groove, and such formation allows the feet to engage the base of the rim with less reaction of the legs than if the feetwere left unbent and in alinement with the legs. The shoulder, 16, to rest on the rim of the bottle mouth, prevents the force required to drive the sealing part of the stopper into the bottle from neck merely forcing the stopper further in instead of impacting it. The legs may be forced into place with the fingers or with a simple tool, or a machine may be constructed for the purpose.

The super'cap shown in Fig. 5, preferably of metal, has the downwardly projected prongs, 17, which may be attached in any suitable way or, for some uses, might be struck from the same piece of metal. It has the anchoring prongs 17, on which are the barbs 1 8, downwardly projected. The edge,

21, of the super cap, as shown in Fig. 5, is,

beveled so as to engage the downwardly beveled inner edge, 22 of the cap. The super cap being driven downwardly, the legs penetrate the substance of the stopper inside the opening 19, of the cap, 2, and the rim 20 of the super cap rests on the cap with the beveled edges, inversely, in contact with each other. The barbs, embedded in the sub stance ofthestopper cannot be withdrawn without also drawing the stopper.

The provision of a central supercap is necessary to the successful functioning of the combination. Prongscut out of the interior of the main would not be of suflicient length. If made integrally with the super cap and of the same piece of material, they and the barbs on, them may be of any desired length and form.

The particular form of the rim shown in Fig. 2' has a distinct useful purpose. VVithout the presence of any intermediate memifli', OI factorgthe mere emplacement of the locks it, not only vertically but laterally as well, so that it cannot be thrown out 'of lockby accident nor otherwise than by intentional: manipulation.

I These feet are designedly slanted at angles which are less.

acutethan the angles of coincidence of the sides and bases {of the grooves. If the angles were relativelyobtuse, or, the same, the feet would'not engage the bases of the rim as they. do (see short dotted lines in Fig. 1.)

' In the act ,of adjustment, the feet only have to pass over and beyond the corners at the basesl of the grooves, and upon withdrawal ofv the pressure on the legs, in that act, there isreaction whereby the feet are drawn into slightly angularspace and thelegs become slightly curved upward inthe r oveg nut torelease the feet, in the act of inlocking, they must be subjected to an outward pull. The beveled edges at the topsofthe sides ,of; the grooves are by no means merely ornamental. By their presence the radii action andreaction of the curves of the legs ,ofthe cap are reduced as well as the extent ,of. the curvature required in forming the legs, allcontributing to con venienceof emplacement and locking. And besides all this, the rim presents a neater appearance than the tops of the sides of the grooves were left sharp.

The invention is susceptible of being embodied'inotherforms of construction, andI do notpby reason of the foregoing descriptioii and, these drawings preclude myself of theright to embody it in other forms, and to applyit to other uses consistently with these specifications and claims.

Having thus set forth and described. the invention, I claim as follows:

fastener for bottles and other containers, comprising a metal cap and-legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle, the legs sunk into; the substance of the stopperat. its upper and outer edges of therim on two sides, andto position to be depressed into ,,,downwarolly and outwardly slanted grooyes in arimformed around the mouth of' a ibottle or other container, and feeton the .legs bentsl ig'htly outward from the bot- ,toms of the grooves, and means for fastena stopper; vsaid means consisting of barbed prongs downwardly projected from a super cap formed to rest in an inner opening in the cap portion of the fastener, the prongs anchored in the substance of a stopper.

2. A fastener for bottles and other containers, comprising a metal cap and legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle, the legs sunk into the substance of the stop per at its upper and outer edges of the rim on two sides, and to position to be depressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves. i

3. A fastener for bottles and other containers, comprising a metal cap and lcgsextended downwardly therefrom at an angle,

the legs sunk into the substance of thestopper at its upper and outer edges of the rim on two sides, and to position to be depressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves, and means for fastening the fastener t0 the stopper.

4t. The combination of a puller for a stopper, anchored in the stopper, with means for binding and locking the stopper in the mouth of a bottle carrying the stopper; the means consisting of a metal cap and legs" extended downwardly therefrom at an angle, the legs sunk into the substance of the stopper at its upper outer rim and to position to bedepressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves in a rim formed around the mouth of the bottle or other container, and feet on the legs, bent slightly outward rela tively to the grooves.

5. A fastener for bottles and other containers, comprising a metal capand legs extended downwardly therefrom 'at an angle, the legs sunk into the substance of the stopper at the upper and outer edges of the rim ontwo sides, and to position to'be depressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves in a rim formed around the mouth of a bottle or other container, and feet on the legs bent slightly outward from the bot toms of the grooves, and means for fastening the fastener to a stopper; said means lit consisting of barbed members downwardly gagement on an "undercut rim formed around the mouth of the bottle.

7. In an article, as described, the subcombination of means for binding and'locking a stopper in the mouth and neck of a bottle with a puller for the stopper, the puller comprising a super cap, and barbed projections therefrom anchored in the stopper, the super cap supported centrally on the cap portion of the binding and locking means, the latter having detachable binding and locking engagement on an undercut rim formed around the mouth of the bottle, and on the top of the stopper.

8. In an article, as described, the subcombination of a binding and locking member for a stopper in the mouth and neck of a bottle with a puller for the stopper, the puller formed with barbed downwardly projected prongs, the prongs connected at their upper terminals with a super cap, the exterior edges of the super cap beveled upwardly to engage, in place, inversely beveled interior edges around a central opening in the cap portion of the binding and locking member.

9. A fastener for bottles and other containers, comprising a metal cap and legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle the legs sunk into the substance of the stopper at the upper and outer edges of the rim on two sides, and to position to be depressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted and beveled grooves in a rim formed around the mouth of a bottle or other container, and feet on the legs bent slightly outward from the bottom of the grooves, and means for fastening the fastener to a stopper; said means consisting of barbed members downwardly projected from a super cap, the super cap formed for support in a central opening in the cap portion of the fastener.

10. In an article, as described, the sub combination of a bottle member formed with a horizontally undercut rim around the mouth and downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves therein, the sides of the grooves slanted upwardly and outwardly and beveled at the tops of the sides, with means for binding and looking a stopper in the mouth of the bottle, the means comprising a metal cap and legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle across depressed and impacted portions of the stopper on two sides and into the grooves and to locking engagement with the bottle member on the base of the rim.

11. In an article, as described, the subcombination of a bottle member formed with a horizontally undercut rim around the mouth and downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves therein, the sides of the grooves slanted upwardly and outwardly and beveled at the tops of the sides, with means for binding and looking a stopper in the 'mouth of the bottle, the means comprising a metal cap and legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle across depressed and impacted portions of the stopper on two sides and into the grooves and to locking engagement with the bottle member on the base of the rim, through lateral projections on the legs disposed angularly with respect to the bases of the grooves.

12. The combination of a puller for a stopper, anchored in the stopper, with means for binding and locking the stopper in the mouth of a bottle carrying the stopper; the means consisting of a metal cap and legs extended downwardly therefrom at an angle, the legs sunk into the substance of the stopper at its upper outer rim and to position to be depressed into downwardly and outwardly slanted grooves in a rim formed around the mouth of the bottle or other container, and feet on the legs, bent slightly outward relatively to the grooves, the angles made by the feet and legs more obtuse than those made by the bases and unbeveled sides of the grooves, the feet and legs in place supported on the bases of the rim obliquely to the unbeveled sections of the sides of the grooves.

13. The combination of a stopper for a bottle or other container carrying pull means anchored therein with a binding and locking fastener, the fastener having frictional and resilient engagement on the base, and in slanted grooves formed in the rim around the mouth of the bottle or other container, the fastener formed with a central cap and legs, the legs extended downwardly and outwardly from the cap at an angle, through the grooves, with looking engagement se cured by laterally extended feet, the feet integral with the cap and leg portions, and formed on the disengaged ends of the legs and bent slightly outward relatively to the basal planes of the grooves, the angles made by the feet and legs more obtuse than those made by the bases and unbeveled sides of the grooves, the feet and legs in place supported on the bases of the rim obliouelv to the unbeveled sections of the sides of the grooves.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS C. SPELLING.

Witnesses RENA MELOHER, MARY A. ENGEL. 

